Friday, August 30, 2013

JOLT! –RESPONDING TO ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS—LARGE AND SMALL IN SOUTHERN LOS ANGELES

A new multi-dimensional exhibition “JOLT! -- RESPONDING TO ENVIROMENTAL DISASTERS—LARGE AND SMALL IN SOUTHERN LOS ANGELES opens September 3, 2013 in the Archives and Special Collections Department on the Fifth Floor of the University at California State University Dominguez Hills.

In response to continued student interest in the devastation caused on March 10, 1933 by an earthquake in Compton and Long Beach as well as the hazards to the environment presented by oil refineries or derrick explosions throughout the early to mid-20th century, this exhibition presents extensive documentation from the Archives collections on the disasters large and small…from earthquakes and floods to kitchen fires and car accidents.Most of these disasters took place within 15 minutes of the CSUDH campus.

The exhibition features 200 images and other archival materials from the Long Beach Firemen’s Historical Museum Photograph Collection, the Compton History Collection, the Lynch Family Collection, the Rancho San Pedro Collection and other materials. The Long Beach Fire photographs have been digitized and are currently being cataloged and should be available in the Archives’ Digital Collection by the end of 2013 at www.archives.csudh.edu:2006.

The donation of 9000 Long Beach fire-related materials in 2010 brought a great deal of documentation not only on mid-century firefighting, but also on enormous oil derrick and gas refinery explosion in Long Beach and Signal Hill. Also featured are images of flooding that devastated Rancho San Pedro lands in the century prior to the paving of the LA River.

The exhibition features sets of photographs on topics that mirror what the Long Beach Fire Museum Collection consists of but also features many collections that have been in the Archives for many years. The section relating to automobiles features several wrecks involving Long Beach Fire Department vehicles. The aviation section deals with a good number of airplane crashes in Long Beach in the 1940s and 1950s. Other sections deal with the infamous Hancock Oil Refinery mega-explosion in 1958 in Signal Hill as well as early Long Beach oil derrick files during the 1920s and 1930s. Other sections include images on Long Beach commercial fires, Long Beach Fire Department fire prevention efforts and striking images from the 1940s and 1950s relating to fire inspection.Inspections often reveal extensive fire hazards or at least a good deal of hoarding.

Not only do the images in the exhibition document the courageous work of Long Beach firefighters but also allows insight into how commercial and domestic scenes can be viewed from the standpoint of the 21st century.

Tours as well as classes are welcome to hear about the Archives and how students can use primary resources at CSU Dominguez Hills. A finding aid or catalog of the Long Beach Fire Museum Collection can be found at: http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0f59r6k1/. Archives hours are Monday-Friday, 10-4.

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About the CSUDH Archives and Special Collections Department

The Archives and Special Collections Department at CSU Dominguez Hills is the principle repository for rare, special, and digital materials supportive of the University’s research, creative, and service commitments within its mission. Essential collection areas include: Special Collections, Dominguez Hills University Archives, California State University Archives, Rare Book Collections, and the Digital collection. Although it documents many diverse subjects, the department’s primary focus is on collecting, organizing, describing, and making unpublished and published materials relating to local, regional, and state history (with a focus on Los Angeles’ South Bay communities) accessible. The department also serves as the institutional memory of Dominguez Hills University and documents the functions and activities of its community by collecting enduring records. For more information on these specific collections see:

Why A CSUDH Archives & Special Collections Blog

The CSUDH Archives & Special Collections Blog seeks to foster active user participation and engagement on a wide range of issues relating to our archival and special collections. Specifically, the implementation of this blog is envisioned to provide informal access to the special collections, immediate news release, and offer a point of contact where our community can raise questions and engage in vibrant and ongoing conversations on topics relevant to these issues.

We hope to strengthen liaisons and communication concerning CSDHU archival and special materials through immediate dialogue with the CSDHU faculty, its student body, researchers, local community members, anyone interested in the California State University System archives, and archival interns.

About Us

Gregory L. Williams is the Director of the Archives and Special Collections of CSU Dominguez Hills. He has worked in many curatorial and archival positions that include: the San Diego Historical Society, the New Jersey Historical Society, Rutgers University, Colonial Williamsburg, the Oregon State Archives, and the South Carolina Historical Society. Among his works and contributions, he has published over 45 finding aids for the Online Archive of California, the Guide to the Photograph Collections of the San Diego Historical Society, Guide to the Manuscript Collections of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, among many other publications and articles. He has also served as photograph editor for Balboa Park: A Millennium History; A History of North County San Diego; and San Diego After 1940 and gave lectures at the Society of American Archivists in 2007. For additional information about Gregory Williams or to find links to his various works and contributions, please direct your browser to CSUDH Campus-wide Directory

Thomas Philois the archivist of the Archives and Special Collections of CSU Dominguez Hills. He has also worked as an archivist for the Getty Research Institute. Thomas participates in a number of committees on campus, including the Friends of the University Library, the Inauguration Steering Committee, the Friends of the Japanese Garden, and the Archives Advisory Committee. He finds that archiving allows him to work in a field directly related to his passion for history, artifacts, and writing. Among his works and contributions, he has published several finding aids for the Online Archive of California such as the Rancho San Pedro Collection and Glenn Anderson Papers. Among his fictional works it is important to mention: Judgment by Fire (Bantam, 1985) and Play of Light (Mercury House, 1989).